Ok, cool, good tips. Ya, I've scheduled my calendar/todo list to replace both the gasket and screen every 6 months now. Seems like an easy, relatively cheap, bit of maintenance to keep things working great.
On Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 9:06 AM, Benjamin McCafferty <[email protected]>wrote: > Glad it worked out. Your mileage may vary, but I find it significantly > easier to remove/replace with a hot machine than with a cold one. It may > have to do with pliability of the gasket, or perhaps the group expands and > loosens things up, not sure. Either way, if you do it regularly (twice a > year or so) it is a piece of cake. > > Regarding the new gasket--also significantly easier if you soak the gasket > in really hot water for a while, to soften it up a bit. Then, as you said, > use the PF to press it into place. > > best, > bmc > > > On Nov 7, 2010, at 7:50 PM, Chris Bailey wrote: > > Thanks again everyone. Got the parts, popped the old gasket and shower > screen out, put the new one in, and voila, leak fixed, and all good! And > yes, the espresso is better now too with nice clean parts :) As it turned > out, it was pretty easy to get the old gasket out. I did it with the > machine off and cold, and it came out easily (I suspect it's actually harder > with a hot machine since all those materials will expand with heat). > > This is probably obvious, but for the next person doing this the first > time... putting the new gasket back in was a bit harder, until I realize > you just have to get it in most of the way, then just use the PF to push it > in the rest of the way. Easy. > > On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 5:09 PM, Chris Bailey <[email protected]>wrote: > >> Thank you to everyone who responded! Clearly I've been too lax on this >> stuff, hadn't realized I needed to change those parts (at all) :( I've had >> my machine close to 3 years now, so I'm obviously way overdue! I'll replace >> all that stuff. Thanks again for all the good advice, can't wait to fix it >> up! >> >> >> On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 1:56 PM, Benjamin McCafferty <[email protected]>wrote: >> >>> Hey Chris, >>> I'd guess your gasket is bad. I change mine about once a year, and the >>> shower screen twice a year. The gasket can be a bear to remove, especially >>> an old/hard one. If you have the machine hot, it will be a little easier. >>> I'd suggest you write off the shower screen, because then you can be more >>> aggressive using the shower screen as a tool to remove the group gasket. A >>> small screwdriver against the edge/lip of the screen makes a good pry point, >>> and you gently pry downwards at lots of points around the screen, wiggling >>> the screen back and forth until it and (hopefully) the gasket fall out. >>> Another alternative is to use the corner of the screwdriver to dent into >>> the side of the screen's cylinder as you pry, and get it out that way. Note >>> the orientation of the gasket--it has a beveled edge that points upwards >>> when properly installed. >>> >>> Cleaning the shower screen is nearly impossible. Getting the holes clean >>> is easy, but there is a residual layer of oil/grind that gets trapped >>> between the housing and the screen. Have a look at some old photos of mine >>> that I posted about a while back. The best you can do is regularly >>> backflush and soak in Cafiza, and toss it after a while. It costs less than >>> a half a pound of coffee, and makes a big difference in taste. Here's a >>> picture of a one-year-old screen that had been soaked in a strong Cafiza >>> solution for an hour, and scrubbed vigorously on both sides: >>> >>> *http://tinyurl.com/246thzp* >>> >>> Here is a link to the gasket: >>> >>> http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/isomacparts/e61groupgasket >>> >>> Note that it comes in three thicknesses--8, 8.5, and 9mm. I think the >>> stock one was 8.5, and if you use the Rancilio bottomless PF you use the 8. >>> >>> Here is the screen: >>> >>> http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/isomacparts/faemae61groupscreen >>> >>> Be sure to specify "e61" in the "color: select brand" drop down box. >>> >>> Hope some of that helps. >>> >>> tx, >>> bmc >>> >>> On Oct 28, 2010, at 12:29 PM, Chris Bailey wrote: >>> >>> Recently I've been getting a fair bit of water coming out the >>> side/outside of my PF. I have not changed my coffee, methods, etc. I >>> suspect either I need to do some intense cleaning, or maybe my PF is worn or >>> something and not getting a proper seal? To illustrate what I'm talking >>> about, see the annotated photo: >>> >>> http://skitch.com/chrisrbailey/d7axc/bii-leak >>> >>> Those red arrows are pointing to the water that's leaking out the side. >>> I've got the PF in there tight, so I don't think that's the issue (and >>> again, I haven't changed my methods, and this is a new thing that's >>> happening). The leak has gotten progressively worse. Initially it was just >>> a few drops of water, but in this photo it's quite extreme where it's a full >>> on stream. >>> >>> What would folks suggest? I've done the usual cleaning with the cleaning >>> powder and backflushing, and I've scrubbed around in the area where the PF >>> locks in (although I still seem some dirt/coffee sort of ground on there - I >>> need to figure out how to get in there with a tool and maybe cleaner >>> (recommendations?) so I can get that truly clean). So, before I got into >>> intense cleaning mode, figured I'd post and see if anyone else has >>> experienced this and what you did to solve it. Thanks. >>> >>> -- >>> Chris Bailey >>> [email protected] >>> @chrisrbailey >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "Brewtus" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/brewtus?hl=en. >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "Brewtus" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected]<brewtus%[email protected]> >>> . >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/brewtus?hl=en. >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Chris Bailey >> [email protected] >> @chrisrbailey >> > > > > -- > Chris Bailey > [email protected] > @chrisrbailey > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Brewtus" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/brewtus?hl=en. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Brewtus" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<brewtus%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/brewtus?hl=en. > -- Chris Bailey [email protected] @chrisrbailey -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Brewtus" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/brewtus?hl=en.
